Comparing active game-playing scores and academic performances of elementary school students

Abstract

In the educational sciences, many discussions on the use of computer games occur. Most of the scientists believe that traditional computer games are time-consuming software and that game-playing activities negatively affect students' academic performance. In this study, the accuracy of this general opinion was examined by focusing on the real game-playing scores of an elementary school students in Turkey. First, researchers selected a single-player strategy game. Second, the selected game was given to 105 fifth-grade students, who had not played it before, so that they could play it over a 30-minute period. The most successful student of the group finished the 23rd level of the game and collected 8152 points in total. In order to investigate the correlation between strategy game performance and academic performance, researchers derived the students' average exam scores for six different courses (mathematics, physical science, science and technology, visual arts, music, and social sciences) from official documents. At the end of the study, it was found that participants' mathematical or physical science skills were positively correlated with game success; however, a negative relationship was not exists between an individual's computer game success and academic performance.